Sunday 21 October 2012

Roadrunner Driving and Scooby Snacks

After watching a Roadrunner cartoon last week, Sprout asked why they were called roadrunners, how fast real roadrunners can go, and whether they really say, "Meep meep!" Turns out they kind of coo, and they can run about fifteen miles an hour, quite a lot for a bird that only gets up to 56cm tall. Abstract speed measurements don't mean anything to Sprout yet, so we went for a drive down our quiet road at 15 miles an hour so he could get a feeling of it. Then he had an idea! A drive at lots of different animal speeds. So we went back home and found out some maximum speeds of different animals, and hopped back in the car...

Starting to move down the drive... 1mph... as fast as a spider... turning onto the street... 8mph... as fast as a mouse... accelerating slightly... 11mph... as fast as a pig... now 15mph... roadrunner speed... 30mph... kangarooooooo... we kangarood for a while, then onto the dual carriageway... 40mph... ostrich speed!... moving up to 50mph like a lion... then 60 mph... anteloooope... we anteloped until we reached the motorway then......... 70mph... we were cheetahs! Both boys absolutely loved it and have asked to go for a cheetah drive a couple of times since, so lucky for us we live pretty near the motorway! The one animal on the list we found that we couldn't replicate was a peregrine falcon that dives at over 200mph, so I suggested we go and see one instead as there's a raptor rescue centre fairly close by.

Sprout and a peregrine falcon
A hawk (I think!)

They have other rescue animals at Gentleshaw too, like this coati who both Sprout and Squidge loved...


We spent most of the day there, the boys went on a little camel ride...


...we all had some lunch in the cafe (that also had lovely lovely staff who were sympathetic and helpful when I was feeding Moppet and what seemed like a huge amount of coke got spilt on the floor)...



...and the boys played some crazy golf (which, by their rules, is all about the speed!)...


...and finished off with an ice cream, despite it being, you know, October and cold :) I loved listening to Sprout postulating how he thought the fountains and water cascades in the garden centre there worked. He was spot on! I've found he's very interested at the moment about what things do and how, from these fountains through to the purpose of skin on a fruit. He tells me how he thinks it works, or what it's for, and then asks me if it's right and how we can find out.


We also saw a gorgeous rainbow on the way home!


Sprout played on the food page of this game one night, and then decided to do a list of lots of things he'd like to eat over the next few days, including fresh fish and carrot juice (he'd had fresh fish a long time ago but never carrot juice). So after an unsuccessful attempt to get some bream delivered with the shopping, Sprout and I popped along to the fish counter and he chose some whole bream, which he watched Gruff gut and fillet at home and then they baked it with some rosemary and roasted garlic. He ate all of his along with some chips and a glass of carrot juice :)


Over at their grandparents' house, there's a kitchen being installed, which means lots of polystyrene for building ice cities with...


...lots of stray cabinets in which to play hide and seek...


...and the opportunity to build some cabinets themselves. They also found an old strategy game there called Push (so old I can't even find any reference to it online!) that I used to love as a kid, where two people start off with balls in a certain pattern and had to move theirs first into another pattern. Lots of the balls are missing now but I found Sprout making different symmetrical patterns out of the balls which was really interesting to watch.


Online this week they've both been playing a lot of the Monkey Go Happy puzzles, and Sprout brought me this note that he'd written to tell me which one he wanted me to find him a link for next... 


While playing the physics game Dust, Sprout asked what C4 was. I found it online for him, but far better was this episode of Mythbusters we came across today where they cooked some in a microwave. 
They've also both rediscovered Animal Jam, and have been meeting online to play the games together, and Squidge has been enjoying the nature videos. Sprout has been enjoying playing Cut the Rope too, while Squidge asked me to find Animal Mechanicals on YouTube which has now become a fast favourite. Musically, Sprout's been having a Moves Like Jagger and Gangnam Style week :)

Moppet, meanwhile, has been mostly putting things in her mouth...


...and eating and sleeping. I think a growth spurt is in progress!


 Sprout is still doing lots of investigations into balancing...


...and they've both been having a bit of a spin-fest since we got Gruff a new computer chair :D 


Sprout really sweetly made this heart for Squidge to cheer him up one evening when he was sad, which just about made my heart burst :)


Squidge has been cloud-spotting with the cloud viewer we made... 


...and playing football...


...while Sprout helped Gruff fix Grandpa's car. 


They both found litter pickers that were hanging round the house, and have been playing games seeing what they can pick up and pass between them using only the grabbers.


I saw this printable Lego game idea on Pinterest a while ago, but couldn't find the original. Yesterday, however, I came across this one, and no sooner had I printed it than the boys had rallied round a spaceman, a ninja, a sharkman, and a Queen's guard with a wooden leg. It was a fun game, with lots of ups and downs - at one point my spaceman was standing on ten blocks while Sprout's ninja had been reduced to just a head, but he beat me in the end!




Watching Scooby Doo one day, the subject of Scooby Snacks came up, so Sprout asked if we could make one. Ooh, fun, I thought...


...and voila! One turkey, cucumber, peanut butter, banana, chocolate spread, cream cheese, grape, ham, nutella, marshmallow fluff, cheddar, crisp and beef Scooby Snack :D


We also had a trip to see Brave for National Schools Film Week, but left after half an hour or so as the boys both found the bear scary. Think I'm going to have to get the DVD as I loved it and want to know what happens! We had a day at Come Into Play for one of their friend's birthday too, they do love it there so they've already asked if we can go back soon.

And finally, this. Just because I love it and how much the photo is absolutely Squidge :)



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